Paintball guns generally utilize top-mounted hoppers that feed ammunition (i.e., paintballs) into the chamber of the paintball gun. The capacity of the paintball gun to continue firing before reloading depends upon the size of the hopper. A larger hopper carries more paintballs, which permits longer use before reloading. However, a smaller hopper is lighter, and in a paintball game where opponents attempt to shoot each other, a smaller hopper presents a smaller target. Whether a player chooses a larger hopper or a smaller hopper, a common experience during a paintball game is the need to reload the hopper with paintballs. Accordingly, a player often carries additional paintballs onto the field of play.
The additional paintballs are commonly carried in pods within a harness that may be strapped on like a belt. The pods are capped tubes containing paintballs that can be poured from a pod into the hopper of a paintball gun. U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2002/0059927 further describes some known paintball pods and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
During the game, the player is often very active, and this agitates the paintballs quite vigorously. The agitation can cause serious problems for the player by increasing the pressure against the paintballs, which may cause the paintballs to crack and leak paint, thereby making the paintballs unusable. The paintballs rattling inside the tube can also pop open the lid of the paintball pods, allowing the paintballs to spill out of the pod. The paintballs are generally rendered useless if soiled in any way.
Consequently, there is a need for a paintball carrying/loading device or pod that is able to safely carry paintballs on the playing field that minimizes the possibility of breakage.